This invention relates generally to semiconductor technology, semiconductor processing, and the formation of complementary metal oxide semiconductor integrated circuits.
Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits include NMOS transistors and PMOS transistors. Generally, these transistors may be made by forming a gate dielectric and then forming NMOS and PMOS gate structures on top of that dielectric. The gate electrode structures may be made of polysilicon, silicide, or metal.
MOS field-effect transistors with very thin gate dielectrics made from silicon dioxide may experience unacceptable gate leakage currents. Forming the gate dielectric from certain high-k dielectric materials, instead of silicon dioxide, can reduce gate leakage. Because, however, such a dielectric may not be compatible with polysilicon, it may be desirable to use metal gate electrodes in devices that include high-k gate dielectrics.
When making a CMOS device that includes metal gate electrodes, a replacement gate process may be used to form gate electrodes from different metals. In that process, a first polysilicon layer, bracketed by a pair of spacers, is removed to create a trench between the spacers. The trench is filled with a first metal. A second polysilicon layer is then removed, and replaced with a second metal that differs from the first metal. Because this process requires multiple etch, deposition, and polish steps, high volume manufacturers of semiconductor devices may be reluctant to use it.
Rather that apply a replacement gate process to form a metal gate electrode on a high-k gate dielectric layer, a subtractive approach may be used. In such a process, a metal gate electrode is formed on a high-k gate dielectric layer by depositing a metal layer on the dielectric layer, masking the metal layer, and then removing the uncovered part of the metal layer and the underlying portion of the dielectric layer. Unfortunately, the exposed sidewalls of the resulting high-k gate dielectric layer render that layer susceptible to lateral oxidation, which may adversely affect its physical and electrical properties.
Thus, there is a need for complementary metal oxide semiconductor fabrication techniques.